


New Year with the Gleefuls

by SerenaDusk



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reverse Falls (Gravity Falls), Gen, Lots Of Unnecessary Drama, M/M, Magic, New Year's Eve, Party, Stanford being an ass, WHy celebrate new year like a normal person, Will plays for Ghost, all the drama, really - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:08:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28503495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SerenaDusk/pseuds/SerenaDusk
Summary: A new year party at the Gleeful Manor. As always, that man seems unable to do anything like a normal person and turns it into the 'Stanford Gleeful show'. Because of course it has to be about him.
Relationships: Will Cipher | Reverse Bill Cipher/Ford Gleeful | Reverse Ford Pines
Comments: 5
Kudos: 9





	New Year with the Gleefuls

**The Ghost of Gleeful New Year.**

December 31st, last day of the year. There were still about two more hours to go, but William Cipher didn’t have much time to look at the clock right now. He was still working on the final preparations for the show. This day was the one day of the year he got eye to eye with the townspeople, and there was no room for error. Just because they would see him now, didn’t mean the rules didn’t apply anymore. The people couldn’t know his true identity, nor the way he was connected to the Gleefuls. It wasn’t the first time he would complete this task, but the tension was always there. For the New Year event, it was important than ever that he made no mistakes. It would be very inconvenient, and potentially harmful in the long term if Fiddleford would be forced to erase the night from everyone’s memories, just because the demon messed something up. But he could not focus on that right now, he had to stay on topic with his thoughts and complete the final preparations.

William was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard some faint noises, and he got up from the chair in front of his dressing table and took a short look out the window. The first people were gathering outside the garden gates. He could see them move in the light of the lanterns he and Stanford had placed there earlier. The sun was long down, the days were short during this time of the year. William did not mind it. The darkness made his task a little easier actually, although it did mean he didn’t have much time to prepare everything in the garden. Luckily, everything was set up and ready for the show. The demon took a deep breath and closed the curtains, blocking out any possible curious gaze in his direction. Right after that, he heard a faint knock and Stanford entered the room with a calm smile on his face. “I see you have heard them arrive too, my darling. They are right on time for what I think is a wonderful tradition.” He spoke up, walking over to reach up and cup William’s cheek with his large, six fingered hand. The demon smiled, visibly calming down under the soft touch. “You are tense, my sweet little blue bird. Don’t be scared. It is nothing you haven’t done before.” While continuing to speak with a soft, calming voice, the master led his demon slave back to the dressing table, putting him right in front of the mirror.

Guided by his master, William changed out of his regular uniform, into the costume he kept safely in his closet the whole year, only to be taken out for this event. It reminded him of the suit he once wore at the ball, but there were a few differences. It was warmer, with soft white fur instead of lace, and the cloak was less light and airy. It just fitted better with the time of year. Oh, and instead of a mask with feathers, there was a soft veil that covered both his eyes. Well, his single eye and the empty socket. He could see through it with little effort, but it hid his injury perfectly, and gave him a bit of an unearthly look. Actually, the way his outfit was designed made him look like a mix between a ghost and an angel, which was exactly the way it was intended. A pair of white gloves finished the look, and Stanford made the demon turn around a few times to look at him from every angle. “Perfect, my darling. I am glad to see it still suits you so well. I know you take care of it well, and yet you always surprise me with the dedication you show. But I believe it is almost time for me to set up my part of the event. I will see you in a little while.” The master praised his slave and set his hands on William’s shoulders to lean and whisper in his ear. “Every new year I start with you is a gift. Do not think I don’t realize that.” After that, before the demon had a chance to respond, the man left the room to take care of the public part of this event. The part William could not deal with, as he was not supposed to speak to the townspeople. They would not see anything other than the picture the residents of the manor so carefully painted to hide the truth. They would not see a demon slave, no. They would see him the way he was now. The way they saw him every year, without ever knowing the true face behind the veil over his eyes.

But first, the practical part of the matter. It was a little while before midnight, and the air was cold for humans. It was the middle of winter after all, and humans were far more sensitive to temperature than William was himself. Luckily, in this time of the year, the restrictions on his magic were loosened up, to allow him to use far more of it, without burning himself out. And thus, William did not have to let his feet touch the ground as he moved to the kitchen, where a large variety of hot drinks and small bites were already prepared. Those were actually the most time-consuming part of this event. The catering of this party was completely done by the demon, but the people had no idea. They only knew that when the clock struck eleven, the empty tables outside the gates would suddenly be filled with many delicious goods. Hot chocolate, tea, coffee, several types of wine and champagne, and of course fresh juices. Everyone could choose what they liked best. But while there was a lot of friendly chatter, laughter, and drinking, there was a bit of underlying tension. Nothing that would result in arguments or fights, but it was as if everyone was killing the time, trying to supress their curiosity. And then, with half an hour to go, the front doors opened and the Gleefuls stepped out. Their assistant Fiddleford was with them, but he hardly ever spoke a word during this party. The twins were greeted with a lot of muttering. People wondered if they should applaud. They knew it wasn’t like when they were on stage, but it just was the way they were usually greeted when they made an appearance. Mabel gave a bright smile at the gathered crowd and waved cheerily. Her twin brother just nodded in their general direction.

The crowd got louder again, until Stanford raised his hand. “Welcome, to the end of yet another year. It has been quite a year for all of us, and I am sure we all have moments we will remember forever.” He spoke to everyone: Fiddleford, the twins, the townspeople, and, because the man knew very well, he would be listening, William. “Every year we gather here around the gardens of my manor to witness the harbinger of new year. I am expecting him in about fifteen minutes, and I am sure he will be pleased to see us celebrate his arrival.” A chuckle escaped the man before he continued. “How blessed I am that this phenomenon manifests every year I these gardens. And of course, that this harbinger lets me guide him to the moment the clock strikes, changing an old year into something new.” Stanford knew how to set the scene, to make the people are the more expectant, and maybe slightly scared. The way he interacted with a being from another plane of existence was enough to leave those poor, simple minded fools in awe. And of course, let’s not forget the publicity that came with it. There was very little known about the occurrences around the manor after all, so whenever they were able to catch a glimpse of it, journalists swarmed him like mosquitos. Usually he’d find it irritating, but on this day of the year it filled him with even more glee. Sometimes he wondered if he was trying too hard, but why not use the possibilities he had to the fullest? No use of having powers if he was never able to showcase them after all. No, this was honestly just perfect, and suited his style very well.

Stanford left most of the direct interactions with the people to the twins and held back a bit, making sure to be well in the view of the cameras. He shot a glance at the woods on the other side of the garden every once in a while, knowing that William should be headed there, setting up the first phase of the event. And indeed, with fifteen minutes until midnight, the crowd fell silent as waves of fog started to roll out of the forest. Stanford put his glass down on the single table with goods on the inside of the gates. The townspeople started to close in, knowing full well that the gates would remain closed. They just wanted to be able to be as close as possible. Stanford let it slide, he had other things to focus on right now. The fog closed in, hiding the ground under the coiling mist. All eyes were on the treeline, despite the fact it was hard to see it by now. They knew what was coming next, and they didn’t want to miss it. Almost time now. Fog curled around their feet, sending shivers up spines, but nobody paid attention to it. They were all wrapped up in warm coats anyway. The people had come prepared, and no amount of cold and fog would make them retreat now. Not when they finally saw what they wanted to see so badly. The first flickers of the light were spotted now. At first, it was hard to truly see, but as it approached, the small flame got clearer through the mist. A gust of wind blew a part of the mist away and formed a small rift. The flame floated right between them and got closer to the edge of the forest. Children pressed their faces between the bars to see better. Those with cameras double checked the lenses. Anticipation grew, despite the fact they saw this ever year.

And then the flame reached the edge and the figure holding it was finally revealed. A collective gasp went through the onlooking townspeople as the being came into sight. He floated a few centimetres above the ground, but as he reached the soft grass, he landed, letting his white boots settle on solid ground again. The flame between his hands died down and on the part of his face the people could see, a sweet smile was visible. Stanford smiled too and approached the being. The townspeople went quiet immediately, not wanting to cause it to be startled. The way it handled fire and just came across as some sort of spirit made them weary. What if it would start attacking everyone? And mister Gleeful was so close now, what if something went wrong? So no, they were all very quiet and looked on as Stanford stood in front of the being and held out his hand. The being seemed to study him for a while before reaching out and letting his gloved hand slide in Stanford’s. On cue, an unearthly music started playing from an unknown source. Stanford pulled the being closer and they started to dance between the flowers.

With the music playing, and the distance between the people and the two dancers, they had the opportunity to speak between themselves for a bit. “You’re doing perfectly well so far, my darling blue bird. Perfectly well timed as always.” He praised the demon in his arms as they turned on time with the music. William smiled. “I am glad I timed it well. I was afraid I would miss my cue, but luckily I remembered to bring my watch.” He answered softly. “Indeed. Soon the clock will strike twelve, and if everything is placed well, we should trigger the start of the finale right at the stroke of midnight.” Stanford smiled as well. He was leading the dance, as he always was, meaning that William had to have placed everything at the exact right places, or everything would go wrong. And it was about to be the moment of truth, because in the distance, he could hear how the people started counting down the final seconds. The demon tensed up a little bit, but Stanford calmed him down immediately. “Don’t fret, my dear. You do so well every time, I see no reason why this year would be any different.” He spoke as they made yet another turn, while the final three seconds were counted down. Right when he heard the people collectively shout out ‘Happy New Year!’, Stanford’s heel touched the ground. Or actually, the trigger William had so carefully placed earlier that day. With a thundering boom, the first set of fireworks went off, exploding in an arch of silver lights over the Gleeful Manor. Stanford let go of William, took a step back, and bowed lightly. William did the same and floated up again. While the silver arch faded, the being rose up higher in the sky and started spinning slowly.

He spread his arms and let sparks shoot out of his fingers. Some went up in the sky and exploded into bursts of colourful glitter. Others went down to the ground, activating the various firework boxes placed around the garden, cleverly hidden so it looked like the flaming arrows came out of nowhere. Stanford had carefully designed each wave of this show, all William had to do was set them off at the right time. It was the reason he allowed the demon to use up much more magic than usual. The effect was magnificent, and the master himself watched in silence as the result of his hard work lit up the night sky. He could still see the white clad figure above the roof of the manor, but hardly paid attention to his servant at the moment. The light show was impressive, and he couldn’t help but enjoy the result of a well-thought-out plan. Every year the show was bigger, brighter, and more beautiful and tonight was no different. It lasted nearly half an hour before the being landed again, bowed deeply, and disappeared into a burst of light. Stanford turned towards the people of the town and spread his arms. “And again, we start a year with the blessing from a being of beyond our world. May we all prosper again, see no hardships, and may luck be on our side with any mission we undertake. I wish you well, good people. And it was my genuine pleasure to host you all again this year.” With that, the Gleefuls all turned, and returned inside the great manor. The show was over, and once again the family was shrouded in mystery. The people returned to their houses as well, heads filled with wonder, and questions that would never be answered. William watched them leave from his window with a slight smile on his face. He turned and found Stanford in the doorway. “Happy New Year, my dear. You did well. Take your rest now. It has been a long day.”


End file.
